prowrestlingfandomcom-20200223-history
Gypsy Joe
| birth_place = Puerto Rico | death_date = | death_place = Nashville, Tennessee | resides = Tullahoma, Tennessee | billed = Villalba, Puerto Rico | trainer = Carlos Colon Pedro Morales | debut = 1950s | retired = 2011 }} Gilberto Melendez (December 2, 1933 - June 14, 2016) is a retired Puerto Rican professional wrestler better known under the ring name Gypsy Joe. Gypsy Joe is known for his longevity in the wrestling business. He was the first wrestler ever to jump successfully off a steel cage onto an opponent. He made his debut in the United States in 1963 after a lengthy career in Puerto Rico. In April 2003 Joe was involved in a memorable hardcore match with New Jack in which, due to Joe no-selling throughout the match, New Jack legitimately attacked the sexagenarian with a chain, a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire, and several other weapons. In 2007, WWE Magazine named Gypsy Joe the world's oldest wrestler at the age of 73. He continued to actively wrestle until 2011, when he decided to finally retire. Championships and accomplishments *'Central States Wrestling' :*NWA Central States Tag Team Championship (3 time) - with Mr. Pogo :*NWA Central States Television Championship (1 time) :*NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *'International Championship Wrestling' :*ICW United States Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Tojo Yamamoto *'Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling' :*NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Louis Tillet *'Continental Wrestling Association' :*AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Skull Murphy :*NWA Mid-America Tag Team Championship (7 times) - with Leroy Rochester (1), Dutch Mantel (1), Buzz Tyler (1), Tojo Yamamoto (3), and Tom Renesto, Jr. (1) :*NWA Six-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Tojo Yamamoto and The Beast :*NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Frank Martinez :*NWA World Brass Knuckles Championship (1 time) :*NWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Frank Martinez *'Southern Wrestling Federation' :*SWF Hardcore Championship (1 time) *'Stampede Wrestling' :*NWA International Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Jim Wright *'United States Wrestling Association' :*USWA Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *'Tennessee Wrestling Alliance' :*TWA Hardcore Championship (2 times) *'Other Titles' :*West Virginia Heavyweight Championship (3 times) See also *Gilberto Melendez's event history External links * Profile *Gypsy Joe at Obsessed With Wrestling. Category:Puerto Rican wrestlers Category:1933 births Category:1950 debuts Category:2011 retirements Category:All Japan Pro Wrestling alumni Category:All-State Wrestling alumni Category:Central States Wrestling alumni Category:Continental Wrestling Association alumni Category:International Championship Wrestling alumni Category:IWA East Coast alumni Category:Jim Crockett Promotions alumni Category:Mountain State Wrestling alumni Category:National Wrestling Alliance alumni Category:NWA Central States Wrestling alumni Category:NWA Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling alumni Category:NWA Polynesian Wrestling alumni Category:NWA Smoky Mountain alumni Category:NWA Western States Sports alumni Category:Ring of Honor alumni Category:SMASH alumni Category:Southern Championship Wrestling alumni Category:St. Louis Wrestling Club alumni Category:Stampede Wrestling alumni Category:Studio Wrestling alumni Category:Ultimate Championship Wrestling alumni Category:United States Wrestling Association alumni Category:W*ING alumni Category:World Championship Wrestling alumni Category:World Wrestling Council alumni Category:2016 deaths Category:Wrestlers who have died Category:Male wrestlers